Since 2007
Hungary has seen a number of strikes, prompting many to believe trade unions
are gaining in strength. In the National Interest Reconciliation Council (OÉT),
employers have even proposed amending strike legislation. Yet in reality the
significance of the unions is merely exaggerated by the political environment.
Given the current instability of the government, every protest and strike
carries greater weight. As a result of the general dissatisfaction with the
government, the trade unions also appear to enjoy greater support.
railway workers protested against the closure of branch lines, the
reorganisation of early retirement for people whose jobs involve high physical
strain, the pension system and health insurance reform. In the first week of
February 2008, the third railway strike within six months took place. In spring
the railway workers’ “rolling strike” continued, and the employees of
Budapest’s public transport company BKV strikes, paralysing transport in the
capital.
Still fragmented
All this creates
the impression that the trade unions are gaining strength, but in reality
unions in Hungary (as in the majority of the Central and Eastern European
countries) remain weak and fragmented. This can be traced back in large part to
the way the trade unions were incorporated into the party during the communist
period, and as a result did not have any independent power. The vast array of
unions and their lack of legitimacy owing to the special role they played
during one-party rule put them in an extremely difficult situation following
the change of system. The plunge in the number of members, and at the same time
the reduction in the level of organisation, further reduced their influence.
Mobilisation low
It follows from
this that in general the significance and impact of strikes is relatively low
in Hungary. This is indicated by the fact that the larger and smaller strikes
in 2007 and 2008 have largely not been capable of mobilising employees to a
significant extent, and that the railway strike in December 2007, which was
announced for an indefinite time, did not last longer than a day. Naturally,
there are certain exceptions, for example, the Kapos-Volán strike in January
this year was surprisingly well-organised. It is therefore important to stress
that our argument is true in general and refers to likely trends.
It also
contributes to the low credibility of the trade unions and their ability to
mobilise that at the start of the ’90s the reorganised or newly established
trade union umbrella organisations took political sides. The unions now suffer
because of the population’s general aversion to politics. According to a poll
by Medián last year, the unions are the second most disliked public bodies in
Hungary (with 35 points), in close competition with the political parties and
the government for the last place (34 and 36 points respectively). Naturally
this considerably weakens the ability of the unions to impose their will. Since
the reason for this is the link to the party under communism, it is likely that
this lack of trust will remain in the long-term.
Growth unlikely
Although in the
last few months the trade unions have been the focus of media attention,
long-term growth in their ability to get their way is unlikely. Despite the
media interest, no structural change has started which suggests that the unions
will gain strength permanently. In fact, at the start of 2008 the unions
suffered a visible defeat when, due to a lack of support, they had to abandon
the walkout planned for after the adoption of the Health Insurance Act.
Self-serving leaders
In the
short-term, the individual ambitions of the union leaders – which logically follow from the Hungarian
trade union system – could hinder the
unions in looking after their members’ interests. It is conceivable that, for
example, István Gaskó, leader of the currently most active umbrella trade union
grouping Liga, is also using his organisation for personal aims. Otherwise
there is hardly any rational explanation for calling off a strike announced for
an indefinite time within just a few hours. In the medium-term this could
damage the effectiveness of the unions since calling off a strike like this
damages their credibility.
